"A VORTEX OF EMOTIONS"

On the day our magazine was published, 15th May, the 25th Euro-pean rhythmic championship began in Baku. This contest may be described as one of the main sporting events of the year and will be of special historical importance. Azerbaijan has not previously hosted a European championship in any Olympic sport more than once. Gymnastics is first on the list.

New rules

Baku has long become a home to gymnasts from many countries. Suffice it to remember the number of contests hosted by the capital of Azerbaijan in recent years. Sportswomen receive a warm welcome here, while the contests are held at a very high level. A verbal agreement to hold Euro-2009 in Baku was reached two years ago, when Azerbaijan last hosted the European championship. The European Union of Gymnastics (EUG) and its president Dimitrios Dimitropoulos were so surprised by the scale and organization of the contest that they suggested our capital should host another Euro. No sooner said than done, and now the leading gymnasts are in our capital again.

The contest at the Heydar Aliyev Sports and Concert Complex was attended by almost all the leading sportswomen, including Olympic champion Yevgeniya Kanayeva of Russia, world champion Anna Bessonova of Ukraine and other gymnasts who set the pace not just in Europe, but also in the world arena. The host team are regarded as one of favourites, as they are improving from year to year. Within this period, Aliya Qarayeva became European champion in the skipping rope programme and has a good chance of defending her title, especially as the programme of the continental championship is limited to seasons. The winners in individual exercises are determined in odd years, while those in the all-round events are decided in even years.

It should be noted that Euro-2009 will be held according to new rules adopted recently by the international federation (FIG). Referees will now assess so-called "elements of risk" - super-difficult elements in which mistakes are quite possible. Whereas previously, gymnasts performed them mainly for the audience and for themselves, now they will be awarded appropriate points for them. However, only 12 of the 18 elements that need to be done during the programme have been retained. Eight are mandatory, while the remaining four are at the gymnasts' own discretion. For example, in exercises with a ball there should be eight elements of flexibility while four should be ones that are easier to perform: turns, jumps or something other. A third 10-point mark has also been added - after D-1 (bodywork) and D-2 (use of an object) - a mark for choreography and music, i.e. for style. In other words, basic technique without appropriate artistry is no longer enough. The use of background music, failure to follow the rhythm, insufficient display of style and so on will be strictly punished. So, while performing their compositions, the sportswomen need to find a fine balance between risk, high basic assessment and reliable performance.

Speaking about the current contest, we cannot but draw parallels with the European championship held two years ago, when Azerbaijan strengthened its position among the gymnastic elite. It was a real triumph for our sportswomen, who won bronze medals in the team performances, and the hour of triumph for Aliya Qarayeva, who won a gold medal in the skipping rope exercise. If we add the wonderful organization of the contest to the sports component, we can say with confidence that the continental championship was one of the best of recent years. However, in scale, this year's contest may surpass its predecessor, in terms of both sport and organization.

The success of Azerbaijani gymnastics is based not only on the mastery of its gymnasts, the hard work of its coaches and the work of the federation. It would be difficult to imagine the current success without the support of the president of the national federation, Mehriban Aliyeva, whose ascent to this post gave a powerful impetus to the development of gymnastics in the country. "Earlier, some countries could not reconcile themselves to the progress of your school and to the fact that the national team has improved its standing so significantly. This became possible mainly thanks to the productive work of the federation, led by its president, Mehriban Aliyeva. She is a person of high culture who understands the role of sport in the life of a society. Her work cannot but be admired," said the main coach of the Russian national team, Irina Viner.

Hoping for the podium

The official logo of the European championship, which uses the colours of Azerbaijan's national flag, is called "A vortex of emotions". The championship is not simply a sporting event. It is a remarkable event for Baku while, for the sportswomen, it is a place for their dreams to come true and for new stars to shine. What happens here is what you work for and expect for a long time. This vortex holds dreams, hopes and emotions. Of course every team has its own hopes, but we can confidently say that the gymnasts who go to Olympics-2012 in three years' time will receive a boost to their careers here. In essence, Euro-2009 is the first major event since the games in Beijing, in which not only the recognized leaders, but also "artists" who are taking their first steps in the sports, will perform solo in Baku. Apart from the individual performances, special attention should be given to junior teams in group exercises, who are also vying for medals in Baku, especially as our team performed successfully at Euro-2007, taking a high fourth place.

The group team held their last rehearsal before the continental championship in Holon (Israel), taking second place in an international tournament. On the first day of the contest, our girls gained 23.425 points with five ribbons and came third behind Russia and Israel. The next day, Sabina Abbasova, Nigar Abdusalimova, Yevgeniya Zhidkova, Aelita Xalafova, Kamila Mammadova and Lala Maharramova performed even better, said chief coach Mariana Vasileva. The group gained 23.85 points and took second place, losing out to the host team and leaving Russia and Bulgaria behind. "For my junior team, this was the final tournament, a good training session, before the European championship in Baku from 15-17 May," said the Bulgarian specialist who proved herself to good advantage.

Grand Prix contests in rhythmic gymnastics were also held in Holon. Aliya Qarayeva and Anna Qurbanova each performed in two finals - with skipping rope and ball. Aliya came fourth twice, falling only a little short of a bronze medal, while Aliya came fifth with the ball and sixth with the skipping rope. In the all-round events, Qarayeva and Qurbanova took seventh and ninth places respectively. Russia's Yevgeniya Kanayeva took first place, while her teammate Darya Kondakova came second and a member of the host team, Irina Risenzon, came third.

On the whole, the Azerbaijani national team are well-prepared for the jubilee European championship and only have to perform well on the Baku mat. They will bear a double responsibility, because our sportswomen have accustomed their fans to success and, naturally, they have to do their best at home. This aspect places additional psychological responsibility on gymnasts who are not just taking part in a contest, but are fighting for awards.

We should note that we have some experience in winning not only European, but also world competitions. Of course, it is extremely difficult to compete with gymnasts from Russia, Ukraine and other countries; however, the level of our sportswomen is improving year by year. Rhythmic gymnastics is currently one of the most popular sports in the country, with sports classes not just in Baku, but also in the regions, training new starlets. This is very important: if there is a succession of generations, it means that the sport has a future. Thus this allows us the right to say that the Azerbaijani national team will be playing a leading role at Euro-2009.